Journeys in Japan: Season 9
Season 9 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Journeys in Japan Season 8.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 9 Progress Shield
Traces of History: Exploring Around Hiroshima
Jan 9, 2018 · 28 min
Hiroshima is home to two World Heritage Sites, the Atomic Bomb Dome and Miyajima Island. Other buildings of architectural significance can be found in, and around, the city. Tokyo-
Yokkaichi: Bringing Back the Skies
Feb 6, 2018 · 28 min
On this journey, we visit Yokkaichi in northern Mie, central Japan. This industrial city, with a population of just over 300,000, is home to Japan's first petrochemical complex. It
Tsubakuro-dake: New Year High Up in the Northern Alps
Feb 13, 2018 · 28 min
The Northern Alps, which has many mountains over 3,000-meters in height, is located in central Japan. It attracts many mountaineers even in harsh winter when it's covered in snow a
Oita: Rest and Recuperation, Onsen Style
Feb 20, 2018 · 28 min
Oita Prefecture in Kyushu is one of Japan's best known places for onsen - or hot springs. The city of Beppu is especially famous for its numerous hot spring sources and the volume
Fukuoka: City of Food and Flavor
Feb 27, 2018 · 28 min
Fukuoka is the largest city in southern Japan, and the political and economic hub for all of Kyushu. For more than a thousand years, Fukuoka has had strong links with the Asian mai
Takada: Community and Tradition in Snow Country
Mar 6, 2018 · 28 min
Joetsu City in Niigata Prefecture is famous for its harsh winters and heavy snowfalls. Since the Edo Period (1603-1868), people here have built covered arcades known as gangi along
A Winter Wonderland of Ice: Eastern Hokkaido
Mar 27, 2018 · 28 min
Every year from February to March, ice floes from Russia's Amur River float across the Okhotsk Sea to the shores of eastern Hokkaido, packing against the shoreline. On this edition
Hachinohe: Warmth in Winter
Apr 3, 2018 · 28 min
In Hachinohe city, on the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, nature has not always been kind to the people. Rice cultivation has traditionally been difficult in the region due to
Makabe: A Promise of Spring
Apr 10, 2018 · 28 min
The charming old castle town of Makabe is located in the foothills of Mt. Tsukuba, not far from Tokyo. It flourished as a regional cultural and industrial center from the Edo throu
Toyama: A Food Culture Rich in Umami
Apr 24, 2018 · 28 min
Kombu (kelp) seaweed has been an essential ingredient in the Japanese diet for over a thousand years. It is used to make the savory dashi stock that underpins all Japanese cuisine.
Following a Samurai Tea Master
May 8, 2018 · 28 min
The distinctive style of pottery known as Oribe ware made its appearance in Japan towards the end of the 16th century. With its uneven, misshapen appearance, bold colors and eccent
Okumusashi: Spring Forest Feast
Jun 5, 2018 · 28 min
Only 50 kilometers away from the capital the mountainous area offers historic scenery and gentle trekking courses. Local residents are passionate about preserving their old townsca
Agano River: Green Foliage and Spring Rituals
Jun 12, 2018 · 28 min
The Agano River flows through northern Niigata Prefecture, about 200 kilometers to the north of Tokyo. It runs from snow-covered mountains down to the sea, and in the old days it f
Ashikaga and Tochigi: Cultivating Nature and Tradition
Jun 19, 2018 · 28 min
In the old days, the cities of Ashikaga and Tochigi were post towns along the highway that led to the famous Nikko Toshogu Shrine, where the first Tokugawa shogun was buried. Pilgr
Atami: The Spa Revival
Jun 26, 2018 · 28 min
Atami, in Shizuoka prefecture, is one of Japan's leading hot spring resorts and is only 45 minutes from Tokyo. The city, which has been a resort for hundreds of years, has seen har
Nikko: Contemplating Its Architectural Jewels
Jul 3, 2018 · 28 min
Nikko, which is a leading tourist destination in Japan, has long been venerated as a sacred place of mountain worship. It is home to the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified J
Tsugaru: Amateur Sumo, Indomitable Tradition
Jul 10, 2018 · 28 min
The Tsugaru area of Aomori Prefecture has long been known as one of Japan's top districts for developing sumo wrestlers. Since the first national sumo arena opened in 1909 in Tokyo
Tsuwano: Painted Past, Vividly Present
Jul 17, 2018 · 28 min
One hundred drawings portray the customs and scenery of 150 years ago. These scenes are still remarkably visible in the old castle town of Tsuwano, Shimane prefecture. In this epis
Remote Ojika Island: Portal to the Past
Jul 24, 2018 · 28 min
Tiny Ojika is part of the Goto Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture, which lies one thousand kilometers west of Tokyo. The population is approximately 2,500. There are only two traffic l
Misugi: Taking it Slow in the Mountains
Jul 30, 2018 · 28 min
The town of Misugi is located deep in the mountains of Mie Prefecture, central Japan. 90% of the town is covered with forests, and forestry is the leading industry. Michael Keida f
Tobishima: Living Life on Island Time
Aug 6, 2018 · 28 min
The island of Tobishima lies off the coast of Yamagata Prefecture in the Sea of Japan. It is about 10 kilometers in circumference, and is dotted with long-established fishing villa
Yuki & Oyama: Neighbors with Interwoven Tradition
Aug 14, 2018 · 28 min
Yuki (in Ibaraki Prefecture) and neighboring Oyama (Tochigi Prefecture) are famous throughout Japan as the home of traditional hand-made textiles known as yuki-tsumugi. The techniq
Mt. Fuji: Climbing to the Sacred Realm
Aug 21, 2018 · 28 min
Mt. Fuji is the most famous peak in Japan. It is also a place of worship, and for centuries pilgrims have made their way to the summit as part of their spiritual practices. That is
Kita-Akita: Deep Connections with Nature
Aug 28, 2018 · 28 min
Kita-Akita City lies in the north of Akita Prefecture. It is a land of mountains and thick forests. The Akita Nairiku Line runs north-south through this wild terrain. On this editi
Okushiri Island: Secret Gem Off Hokkaido
Sep 18, 2018 · 28 min
Okushiri Island-about 84 kilometers in circumference-is located southwest of Hokkaido in remarkably blue and transparent waters. The island has rare rock formations shaped over man
Totsukawa: A Spiritually Charged Place of Beauty
Sep 25, 2018 · 28 min
Totsukawa, in southern Nara Prefecture, is nestled deep in the mountains. The village's isolation from most of Japan for centuries has contributed to the preservation of many uniqu
Iki: Island of Beauty and Promise
Oct 9, 2018 · 28 min
The island of Iki lies off the coast of Kyushu, facing out towards the Korean Peninsula. In ancient times, Iki was an important crossroads for international exchanges. These days t
The Lost Pirates of the Seto Inland Sea
Oct 16, 2018 · 28 min
The Seto Inland Sea in western Japan has been a major sea route since ancient times. The Geiyo Archipelago, of large and small islands, crisscrosses the inland sea between Hiroshim
Kitayama Village: A Community with Unique Charms
Oct 23, 2018 · 28 min
Kitayama Village lies deep in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula in central Japan. It is a small village, with a population of about 450. Some 97 percent of its area is covered wit
Mt. Gozaisho: Going Extreme
Nov 6, 2018 · 28 min
Mount Gozaisho is a popular tourist destination located on the border of Mie and Shiga prefectures, and easily accessible by car from Nagoya. It's famous for its outdoor activities
Fukuoka: A City of Two Faces
Nov 13, 2018 · 28 min
Fukuoka, the largest city in southern Japan, was a merchant town in ancient times that prospered with foreign trade. It gained two distinctive features in the dawn of the Edo Perio
Houki-cho: Preserving the Past for the Future
Nov 27, 2018 · 28 min
The Houki-cho district lies in the west of Tottori Prefecture close to the foot of volcanic Mt. Daisen. It has a population of around 11,000, most of whom live from farming and rea
Kanazawa: A Legacy of Color
Dec 18, 2018 · 28 min
Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture developed as a castle town of the Kaga Domain under the Maeda Clan's rule. For about 300 years from the late 16th century onward, the powerful
Iriomote Island: A Small Piece of Paradise
Dec 25, 2018 · 28 min
Iriomote is 2,000 kilometers southwest of Tokyo in an ocean of corals. The subtropical island enjoys year-round temperature of over twenty degrees Celsius. With ninety percent of t